Enigmatic Black
by Mildly Confused Tree
Summary: Maybe she didn't want to be the perfect Black. Maybe she didn't want to embody all of the Slytherin traits to her core. Maybe she wished she wasn't a pure-blood. Maybe she wanted to be a blood-traitor, in such a loving family. Maybe she could be. Maybe they'll look pass her last name, and someone will accept her for who she really is. Maybe, they'll accept the enigmatic Black.


I paced around the room, rubbing my hands together to keep the warmth inside of me. I glanced at the clock that I could barely read and frowned. It was already 4:30, why wasn't she home yet? She said she finished working at 4:30 but she wasn't here. Was she is danger? Was she even still alive? As the clock ticked to 4:31, I began to fear the worse. My mother was dead, she wasn't going to come back, I was going to be an orphan and worst of all, I wasn't going to get my juice. The juice that I have been craving for a good 3 hours- and not some boring old apple juice in the refrigerator, I needed my mothers juice. The juice that always seemed to be with her, where she would say yes to my demands and suddenly, I had a glass of apple juice. The best apple juice in the world.

4:50. Where was she? Was I going to have to stay with my cruddy nanny for the rest of my life? Never to see the outside of my broom cupboard ever again? Was that the lifestyle that awaited me? I plonked myself down on the seat and began to sob. I was an orphan!  
"I'm home!" The familiar warm voice of my mother echoed throughout the household. I grinned and bounced to my feet and ran to the front door, jumping into my mothers arms. I stopped crying immediately.

"Mummy! You're late!" I said cheerfully before beginning to scolding her for her tardiness. She just nodded and carried me into the lounge, yawning a few times. When I realised she wasn't listening, I shut my trap. Mum dropped me onto the couch and sat down on the floor in front of me.

"You obviously want something, right? What is it?" Mum asked me. I started to swing my legs on the edge of the smooth, dark green leather.

I pointed to the empty cup on the table. "Juce." I said with a grin.

"Apple juice? Again? Do you want anything else?"

"Juce."

She sighed. "Yes, juice, I got it. Do you want a pie as well?"

I shook my head. "Juce. Juce, juce, juce, juce, juce, juce, juce, juce, juce, juce, juce, juce, juce, juce, juce, juce, juce, juce, juc-"

Mum put her hand over my mouth and shook her head, looking extremely tired. "Ok! Juice, I got it, I got it!" She put on a smile for me. "How about we steal some, yeah?" I nodded happily. Mum rubbed her eyes again and snapped her fingers and suddenly, there was a cup of apple juice in her hands. "One apple juice for the happy costumer, right?" I nodded vigorously and started to bring the juice to my lips, only for it to be cut off by a scream.

I looked pass my mum and saw my nanny surrounding by shattered glance, tea and biscuits. I tilted my head in confusion, "Whats wrong, Jule?" I asked. My nanny ran to me, threw the glass of apple juice away and picked me up, retreating slowly from my mother. I started to cause a fuss- My juice!

"My juce! Julie, my juce! I want my juce!" I cried angrily, thrashing around in my nanny's arms. But she just kept on backing away from Mum, holding up a silver cross that she always wore around her neck.

Julie started to shush me, "You don't want that juice, dearie. It's the Devil's juice! She's poisoning you!" Mum sighed and started towards us, "No! BACK! BACK! Get away from me and this child, you demon!" Julie cried hysterically.

Mum rolled her eyes, "Julie, I can expla-"

"God bless I am aware!"

"I WANT MY APPLE JUCE!"

"Julie-"

"DO NOT TAINT THIS CHILD WITH YOUR DEMONIC WAYS EVER AGAIN!"

"JULIE GIVE ME BACK MY JUCE!"

"Do not try to persuade me,"

Mum looked really angry and she reached into her sleeve and pointed a stick at Julie's head and muttered, "Obliviate." Julie's eyes suddenly had a very far away look and she dropped me, luckily Mum caught me in time. She laid Julie gently on the couch and looked really scared, seconds before Julie shot up from the couch.

"Where am I?" She asked in panic. I flinched away from her and Mum stroked my hair.

"You're in the Phoenix Household. My name is Lyra," Mum introduced as if they had just met now. "You were lying on my doorstep when I returned home, all battered and bruised. You've been unconscious for a week," My mum lied to Julie. I cowered away from Julie, she wasn't my Julie anymore. This wasn't my nanny- at least, not according to Mum's story.

Mum bounced me on her hip, "This is my daughter, Carina-Vela."

"What's your name?" I asked meekly. Julie smiled at me sweetly and I could see my nanny shining through this confused mess on the couch.

Then, her smile dropped. "I-I don't know." She whispered frightened. "I'm trying to think but its just... Blank! My god, what is happening to me?"

Mum tried to look disheartened. "Amnesia. Dear, I don't know how or why, but I think you have Amnesia. Memory loss. It could be permanent, it might be for a short term... I'm so sorry."

Julie started to shake her head and said, "No, its not your fault I've lost my memory." Mum smirked a bit. It was her fault and she knew it. "I just... Uh, did I bring anything with me? At all?" Mum shook her head.

"I'm sorry, you were just on my doorstep. You had, uh, this paper in your pocket. Just let me get it." Mum disappeared around the corner after placing me down in front of Julie.

I looked at her with wide, green eyes. "If you don't remember your name, can we make one up for you?" Julie smiled at me and nodded.

"I'd love that."

I couldn't make her name Julie, she'd recognize it and there's a chance that she will remember what Mum wanted her to forget, so I started to think long and hard about this. "Isabella. It's a pretty name, and we can shorten it to Bella, too!" I only thought of that since I had an Aunt named Bellatrix.

Julie nodded in pleasure, "Yes, I really like that name. Isabella." Julie- Isabella repeated to herself. She seemed to be getting use to the name rather quickly. "Thank you, Carina-Vela, for the name."

I shrugged, "Call me Rina. Everyone else does." I said gently.

"Ok. Thank you, Rina. For the beautiful name and helping look after me." I smiled guiltily, what the heck was going on? Mum walked back into the lounge and I finally noticed the lack of shattered glass and food on the ground. When did she clean that up? She was gone for a minute at least.

She handed J-, uh, Isabella a piece a coffee-stained parchment with an address scribbled on it. There were dots of blood stains on it as well and it was slightly torn here and there, but nothing that hid the writing. "This is it."She said. Isabella took the parchment and smiled graciously.

"Thank you so much for your help, Miss Phoenix. You've been very kind."

Mum nodded before she revealed a sack from behind her. "Please, take this for your journey." Isabella took it and peered inside of it, gasping in shock when she saw what laid inside.

"Oh my, I-I could possibly take all of this money!"

Mum shook her head. "Please, take it and go on. Find your family again, find your true self. You cannot do that with an empty and missing wallet, dear..."

Isabella stood up and took Mum's extended hand, "My name is Isabella... Brown. Isabella Brown."

"Find yourself, Isabella Brown. Return if you should ever need help." Isabella nodded and stood up. Mum offered a hug, one which Isabella Brown accepted happily.

"Thank you so much!" Isabella said on the verge of tears before she ran out of the house. Mum watched her from the window and only turned once she was clear off of our land. I frowned.

"What did you do to Julie, Mummy?" I asked really suspiciously. Mum guided me down to the chair and sat me down on her lap.

"I'm a witch, Vela. A pure-blood witch. Your father was a wizard, pure-blood. We married, had a child, named her Carina-Vela, and she is you." Mother said to me bluntly. I tilted my head in confusion.

"So the apple juice...?"

"It was magic, yes."

I fiddled with my thumbs before nodding. "Ok. I'm a witch, then?" Mum nodded. "What do we do now? Isabella will find out that she's Julie soon, right? Do we flee the country?"

Mum chuckled and shook her head, "Oh, no, no, certainly not. We stick to London, but we go to a special part of London. The magical part." I started to grin excitedly. "I have sister's there."

"Aunt Bella? Aunt Cissy?" Mum nodded. "What about Aunt Andromeda? Do we get to see her ever again?" Mum frowned darkly and shook her head.

"We don't talk about Andromeda, ok, Vela? She isn't apart of this family. Not anymore. I'll inform you of everything you need to know on the way to Aunt Cissy's house, agreed?"

"Agreed."

* * *

_**Malfoy Manor  
**__3 Years Later,_

* * *

"Ah, Cissy!" Lyra greeted pleasantly as she brought her little sister into a brief hug. "It's a pleasure to see you once more, especially during such great times." Said Lyra with a sly smile. Carina had to agree that their conditions of visiting was better than their others- the "mysterious" death (coughmurdercough) of her father, Felix Phoenix, and the imprisoning of her Aunt Bellatrix. Narcissa smiled tightly, which was the best thing she could do when it came to smiling. She wasn't the best when it came to them, unless she were with Draco. Then Narcissa couldn't stop smiling.

Narcissa broke away from the hug and nodded, "As such, it is. Lucius is teaching Draco how to fly out in the courtyard so he couldn't welcome you into the house, he sends his apologies." Carina rolled her eyes a little. You'd think Lucius being out in the courtyard was the equivalent to being in another country with how they spoke between each other. Pure-bloods, such fickle people.

Carina smiled politely and hugged Narcissa when she turned her attention to her. "Hello, dear Carina. You are looking healthy." Narcissa said politely as she grabbed a lock of Carina's dark hair and gave it a curl by twisting it around her finger. Carina nodded her head.

"As do you. Is Draco out the back?" Narcissa nodded to Carina and pointed in the direction of their little courtyard. "Thank you," Carina went out into the courtyard and ducked, narrowly missing Draco swooping at her on a broom. Lucius was frowning by the garden and shook his head at Draco, which both of them noticed.

Lucius strode forward to meet Carina, "It's a pleasure to have your cousin visit you, Draco! You don't return the favor by trying to crash into her." Carina frowned at his stern voice. She was older than Draco by a grand total of 3 years, making him 7. Why was he flying in the first place? Did Draco's constant nagging finally get on Lucius' nerves or something? Because Carina highly disapproved of their flying and Lucius was supposed to as well.

Draco hesitantly landed, skidding on the ground to a stop. "Sorry, father. This broom is simply uncontrollable- it's wild! Who made this broom? It's _obviously_ jinxed." Lucius scoffed and took the broom from Draco's grip and scrutinized the broom before he came to a conclusion.

"All too correct, Draco. I'll get Dobby to dispose of this cursed broom and I'll buy a replacement." Lucius sent a glance over to Carina before looking back at Draco. "I'll do it now, seeing as your time will be otherwise occupied by the visit of Carina." Lucius nodded at his niece-in-law and was satisfied by her respectful bow of the head. The girl knew her place and that's why Lucius tolerated her in his manor.

"Thank you, father." Draco said without an bit of sincerity. Lucius grunted and walked into the house, snapping his fingers and calling upon a House-elf as soon as he did. Draco then turned to Carina and hugged her happily. Carina was his favorite and only cousin (Nymphadora Tonks wasn't his cousin. Definitely not). He was always pleased when she visited the Manor, he gave her a short time-period to forget all about being the only child of the Malfoy family. It was refreshing.

"Ah, hello, Cavela!" Draco said using the nickname he had given to Carina. He gave it to her when he was 5, after accidentally combining her two names. "When did you and Aunt Lyra come?"

Carina happily returned the hug before breaking it off. "Just a few minutes ago, so don't worry about being disrespectful or something." Carina said waving her hand dismissively. "So, how's the Perfect Son thing working out for you?"

Draco grinned cockily, "Fantastic, if you had to know. I'm spoiled rotten! I get everything I want at the snap of a finger." Carina rolled her eyes when Draco had to demonstrate, snapping his fingers and ordering a platter of sweets. In less than a minute, Draco and Carina were having a full-blown picnic. "So, how's being the 'Enigmatic Black' going for you?" Draco said sarcastically, mouth full of brownies. Carina chuckled at the name.

_"You act too... Quiet.." A incy little 4-year old kid said with steely blue eyes and white-blond hair. "Mysterious, even."_

_"I guess you could say I'm the Enigmatic Black, then, huh?" Carina of age 7 said rather tiredly. She picked at her nails and took a sip of her tea. When was her mum going to come out of that room?_

_"Enigmatic? Mum hasn't taught me that word yet... And isn't your last name Phoenix?" _

_Carina grinned a little, showing her canine tooth, inherited from her deceased father. "I only have the last name Phoenix so I can have access to my fathers vault. I'm a Black though, through and through." Carina leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. She dipped her pinky in the whipped cream and smudged it on Draco's nose._

_"And enigmatic means mysterious."_

"I told you, I'm a Black." Carina repeated to Draco for the hundredth time. "I'm only legally known as a Phoenix so I can-"

"Have access to your fathers vault, I know, you've told me this a hundred times." Draco said exasperatedly, slicking back his gel-infested hair. Carina rose her eyebrow at him in questioning.

"If you know this already, why do you keep bringing it up?" Carina asked with a cross look on her face.

Draco shrugged, "Just waiting to hear a different reply."

Carina scoffed, "You wont be getting one anytime soon. Trust me." Draco rolled his eyes at her mysterious tone. She had to stop making it seem like she knew something he didn't. "So, Hogwarts, huh?"

Draco's eyes lit up. "Aren't you going next year?"

Carina nodded, "Yeah, I can't wait!"

* * *

_**Phoenix Manor  
**__1 Year Later, September 1st._

* * *

Carina rolled her eyes at Draco as he continued to fuss about houses that she had to be sorted in. "I think, if you get into Gryffindor, you'll be disowned. For sure." He said thoughtfully. Carina watched him with mild interest, not exactly too thoughtful about where she was sorted. "Hufflepuff- oh man, if you get into Hufflepuff you might as well just go to Azkaban. I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad, but Slytherin is your best bit. What with you being a pure-blood and all..." He trailed off as Narcissa walked in, chatting to her sister in mumbles.

Lyra and Narcissa stopped talking and smiled at their children, Lyra speaking first. "C'mon, Rina. We better get to the Platform early, so we don't have to force you to associate with... Others." The sneer in her voice made it clear that she didn't want to encounter any mudbloods or blood traitors. She turned to Draco after getting over herself, "You're coming to see her off, right?"

Draco nodded, "Yeah. It'll be the first time I'll ever see the Hogwarts Express." He commented, the excitement shining through his eyes. Carina patted his shoulder, originally going for the hair but he had whacked her hand away before she could mess up the gel that was thoroughly rubbed in there. Lyra extended her arm to Carina, who hesitantly took it.

As soon as she touched her, they disappeared in a loud crack. It felt like they were being twisted and stretched in a thin, long tube. Carina hated apparition, at least with another person, it made her feel sick. Her eyeballs were forced into the back of her skull, she was pushed in all directions, she couldn't breathe, like there were iron bands tightening around her chest. She loathed the very idea of apparition and wished there was another way to transport in the wizarding world...

Carina and Lyra landed steadily in King's Cross station, looking around to make sure no muggles had noticed their miraculous appearance, and made there way to Platform 9¾. Draco and Narcissa appeared sometime after them. Once Carina had pushed her trolley through the barrier, she breathed the air with a little smile on her face. The train was emitting smoke, but there wasn't much people there. It was rather early, and of course, only pure-blood were there. It was an unspoken agreement between respected pure-blood families to come early so you wouldn't have to deal with muggle-borns and such.

"Aah!" Narcissa cried happily, "Parkinson, what a pleasure!" She greeted as a tall, slender woman walked over with her two children on her arm. Pansy Parkinson and West Parkinson. Their mother had neat, curled hair, cut short of course. She wore some velvet Slytherin green robes and high hells, while Pansy sported a similar outfit. West wore a suit and had his trolley in his hands, making it clear that he was suspected to be her choice of friend.

Mrs. Parkinson smiled and hugged Narcissa (A little awkwardly, mind you). "It's always nice to see you, Malfoy." She then spotted Lyra and they hugged like best friends reunited. "Black, you're alive! Half of us expected that you'd fallen off the face of the Earth with how much press you've been getting."

Lyra laughed, like a bell. "Oh, because I know what they're to say!" She then began an impression of the press. "What happened to your husbands? Why do they die after a full year of marriage? Why do you always get the money? Are you ever going to take in the children of your late-husbands? Oh, it's getting _old_. It's obvious what I'm doing, isn't it?" Lyra shook her head and sighed, like a damsel in distress.

"As long as you don't target my husband, all is well." They all laughed and Draco and Carina locked eyes, both rolling them at the exact same time.

West stepped forward and extended his hand to Carina, "I'm West." He introduced dully.

"I know, we've met before." Carina said as she put his hand down. "Is your memory truly that horrible?" She questioned, cocking her eyebrow up. West sneered at her before glancing down at Draco and Pansy, who were interacting quite casually. Pansy was looking at him like he was some sort of Pagan god and Carina found herself smirking at that. Parkinson and Malfoy? Oh, please, no!

Carina sighed and rolled her trolley towards the train, looking back at West when he didn't follow. "Are you coming? I don't think we can go to Hogwarts with just the clothes on our backs." She told him, turning and walking forward before she could catch his little smirk at her.

"Phoenix, right?" He said as he came beside her. "You're the daughter of the first one that siren drowned. The only one she kept." He insulted her, but Carina took no mind. Her mother was a siren, the filthiest one of them all.

She answered calmly. "That siren is my mother, so you'd better watch how you speak about her." West held up his arms in surrender before they began to load their luggage onto the train, West constantly treating her like a child. It was really sickening, Carina wanted to jab him in the eye with her wand. She wasn't useless, for goodness sakes.

Carina walked over to her mother when she was finished, before West since she had less luggage than him, and gave a little nod. "I'm going on the train now." She told her mother with a dull voice. "I'll just read in my own compartment until we leave."

Lyra opened her arms and hugged Carina tightly, just for show. Mrs. Parkinson gave a little cooing sound and patted Carina on the shoulder, "With a brain like yours, Slytherin will be the best."

Draco perked up immediately, "You'll win the house cup for sure!" He claimed, voice shimmering. Pansy looked at Draco and gave another dreamy sigh. "See you during the Holidays, Cavela." He said as Carina hugged him.

"Sure thing, Dray." She whispered back to him before standing and boarding the train holding _Magical Drafts and Potions_ in her hands. She aimed to excel in potions this year, and perhaps even Care of Magical Creatures if she was up for it. Depended on the teacher, honestly. Carina sat in a compartment and furrowed her eyebrows together. Maybe she'd try and get better grades during Transfiguration- the teacher was McGonagall, not Snape, so she wasn't going to be biased.

Herbology was easy since Carina already knew how to take care of plants, after all at some point of her childhood she decided she wanted to be a botanist and studied about it for around 2 years before Lyra decided it wasn't a good subject. DADA was an obvious stand point for her- she had to get an O. It would be a disgrace to every pure-blood family if a Black couldn't do well in a subject that should be her golden class.

West walked into her compartment and Carina frowned at him, "No." She said suddenly. "Get out."

"What?"

"Get out."

He looked perplexed. "Why?" He asked her, offended.

Carina rolled her eyes, "Why doesn't matter, I said get out!" He didn't move and Carina had to calm herself down. That's right, there were people now, not House Elves. What a big change. "I want to read and I wont be able to do that if you share a compartment with me. So, get out."

West gave her a hard stare before he scoffed and left the compartment. Outside was getting noisier and Carina stood up and slammed the compartment doors shut. That'd keep everyone out for now... After all, she didn't look like someone people would want to associate.


End file.
